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This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Dollar General for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I was recently asked by the folks at the Dollar General Gift Center if I would be willing to use their products to wrap my Holiday packages, however, I would only be allowed to spend $10. I shop at Dollar General often, and I love challenges, so naturally I accepted.
There are so many gift wrapping options at Dollar General that I was actually a bit over whelmed. For just under $10 I was able to purchase more than I needed.

A couple years ago I made the decision to cut down on the harsh chemicals I used in my home and around my children. Although I have a handful of products in my cleaning closet, the two ingredients I use most often are vinegar and baking soda. I use these products for everything from cleaning my oven glass, to removing nasty tub and shower build up. I even make my own vinegar disinfectant wipes.

TGIF!!Boy am I glad the week is almost over with.I was hit pretty hard with a nasty cold and spend most of the week on the couch. I would have preferred to stay in bed but that's not exactly an option when your a stay at home mom.

Thankfully I'm feeling much better and ready to enjoy the weekend. With Halloween just a few weeks away I decided to feature mostly fall and Halloween related projects.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Bulbs. Dig, Drop, Done. for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
Spring is my favorite season of the year. I spend my spring mornings sitting on the front porch, sipping coffee and admiring the newly blooming flowers. Of course those flowers usually belong to the neighbors as I am always to busy (or maybe I'm just to lazy) to plant bulbs in the fall.
However, this year will be different. After visiting www.digdropdone.com I have learned that it really is as easy as digging a hole, dropping the bulb in, and your DONE!! I checked out Curbside Chaos and tried out the Garden Guru Tool located at the bottom left of the screen. This tool is amazing! It helps you figure out which bulb is perfect for your home depending upon where you live and it is so easy to use.

Taking on big projects can be overwhelming at times. Take the stress off, and start with something a little less time consuming. Here are a few simple craft projects that can be easily completed in a weekend.

Wow!! I was at Cracker Barrel yesterday and they had a Christmas display set up next to the cash register. Christmas!! Seriously!?!! I'm not even ready for Halloween!! EEK!! Definitely a sign that I better get on the ball.

What about you? Are you ready for Halloween? What about Thanksgiving? Christmas? New Years?

When I think of pumpkins, I think of Halloween and scary faces. However, there are several ways you can incorporate pumpkins into your fall decor to keep on display all season long. Here are just a few of the wonderful ideas that I have found.

I wouldn't call myself a wine-o, however, I do enjoy a good glass of wine. Especially after a long day. Over the years I have acquired a nice collection of corks. Apparently I am not the only one who collects corks. Cork creations are popping up all over the internet!
Here are a few of my favorite cork creations that I have come across.

Many families spend the majority of
their time in the kitchen. It is also the one area of the home that
you will spend the most time cleaning. However, with the
hustle and bustle of today's busy lives, it's hard to find time to
keep your kitchen spotless. Here are a few tips that I have used to
'fake' a clean kitchen when I don't have the time or energy to
actually clean.

Fall starts next month!!
Are you ready!!!
Well, don't worry because I have prepared a list of super simple fall decorations that will only take a few seconds from your day but will add a huge impact to your fall decor.

Now that summer is winding down, travels are coming to an end.
Hopefully you were able to pick up a few maps along the way but now what should you do with them? Tuck them into a drawer never to be seen again? Or display them so that you can relive the memories of your travels every time you see them?
Here are a few fun ideas I found that you can easily do with your maps.

My daughter has skin allergies and most soaps cause her to break out.
We have been using Dr Bronner's soap for about a year now and her breakouts have reduced dramatically. However, this stuff is not cheap!! I have only found it at two local stores. One charges $9 while the other charges $11 for a 16 oz bottle.
I recently found some Dr. Bronner's bar soap for $4 a bar that I was able to turn into a gallon of liquid soap.

AstroBrights papers are not your ordinary paper. I try to surround myself with bright cheerful colors. In fact, we have a beautiful bright orange paint picked out for our kitchen. I also love using color in many of my craft projects. AstroBrights papers offers 23 bright and fabulous colors to choose from. They give you endless possibilities when it comes to crafting and creating.

If you want your ideas to get the attention they deserve, then use AstroBrights paper. For your next craft fair, yard sale, brochure, or flyer use a bright paper to stand out. For home, school, or office, a bright unique high quality paper, will make your ideas standout. AstroBright believes ideas are important, and a bright quality paper, is the perfect way to display your creativity. For those of you with kids, school will be starting soon and what better way to kick off the school year than with some fun stand-out colors.

School is only a few weeks away and I know for some of you that may mean sending your kids off to college. Being away from home for the first time can be a hard time for any kid (and can be even harder on the parents) I compiled a list of a few DIY gifts perfect for any college girl.

If you have been following me on facebook you know that I have had Christmas on my mind. Yes I know it is only July one of my goals this year was to make most our Christmas gifts. Well guess how many I have made so far? NONE!!! However, I am still determined to whip up a couple gifts before Christmas is upon us. I have three amazing nephews so I have been looking for some fun gifts that they will love. (I have to say that girls are so much easier to make things for) Here are a few of the ideas that I came up with.

Sorry, I couldn't help it. I heard that song on a commercial yesterday and it has been stuck in my head ever since.

Anywho, the warm days of summer are starting to reach there peak. For some of you that may mean it will finally be warm enough for you to enjoy an outdoor BBQ while others (including me) will be hiding away indoors hugging the air conditioner and loading up on ice water. Either way I though I would pull together a few fun crafts to make the coming days more enjoyable (or more bearable).

We moved both girls into twin beds back in October. I was planning on selling Jocelyn's toddler bed on Craigslist but then this great idea to turn it into a child's bench. Well, I finally got around to turning that idea into reality.

Here is what the bed looked like before. (I must apologize for the terrible photos throughout this post. The room I was working in had little light.)

For the past couple years I have tried to avoid buying fresh cherries. Don't get me wrong! I absolutely love cherries. However, when your a mom of young kids you know that your kids "have" to eat whatever you are eating and cherries are just not that great for 2 year olds. With the large pit in the center it is easy for a child to choke.
I've tried cutting them in half and removing the seed but since there is a seed in the center you can't just slice the cherry in half. You have to cut all the way around the seed and then try to rip the flesh from the seed. This always resulted in a huge mess for me and I always ended up with large chunks of flesh still stuck to the seed.
My other options were to hide the cherries in the back of the fridge and only eat them when the kids were napping, outside, or after they went to bed. Or just not buy them at all.
On our recent trip to the grocery store we discovered cherries on sale and couldn't pass them up. From the moment the girls saw them go in the cart they were begging to have some. Once we got home I tried once again to cut them in half and remove the pit but after 4 cherries resulting in a pulpy mess I thought there had to be another way. Then I got an idea.
Using a silly straw we had in the pantry I was able to push the pit out of the cherry. It was actually a lot easier than I had expected and left very little mess.

You can get permanent marker off of almost any smooth surface with one simple ingredient.

HAIRSPRAY!!

We are redoing our floors and we use permanent marker to mark our cuts. The boards have a smooth surface and I know that with dry erase boards you can color over the permanent marker with a dry erase marker and it will wipe off so I wasn't too worried about making a mistake. Of course, it wasn't too long after we started that I was able to test my theory. We ended up marking the wrong end of a board. I quickly grabbed a green (the only color I could find) dry erase marker, colored over the permanent marker and wiped it off. Well the permanent marker faded but was still visible, and the dry erase marker left some nasty green smudges that would not come off.

I thought back to a recent post I wrote on how to remove permanent marker from almost anything. I remembered that hairspray was one of the items that popped up a lot in the post. I ran to the bathroom, grabbed the hairspray and gave the are a few sprays. Like magic, the marker (dry erase and permanent) started to liquify and dissolve before my eyes. With one quick wipe of the paper towel, it was gone. I was simply amazed!!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Florida Orange Juice for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
For those of you who are trying to eat healthier, I highly recomend 100% natural Florida Orange Juice. After drinking a glass of florida orange juice I always feel energized and ready to take on the day. It is also packed full of nutrients so I can enjoy it when ever I want without feeling guilty. Not to mention that it is packed full of vitamin C so I can give my immune system the boost it needs before cold and flue season starts.

Forts are a fun way to keep kids entertained indoors and out. Next time your kids start yelling that they are bored, grab some sheets, clothespins, move the furniture, or head outside. Once the fort is complete, put together some sandwiches and have a picnic, grab a book and enjoy some reading time, or just sit back and enjoy your child creative mind as they play house (or whatever else they come up with).
Here are a few other fun forts that may take a little more work but are definitely worth the effort.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Florida Orange Juice for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I am a HUGE orange juice fan. One of my favorite way to drink orange juice is to pour a cup or two into a blender with a handfull of frozen strawberries, half a frozen banana, and a scoop of vanilla yogurt. I also love to have a tall glass with a bowl full of cereal in the morning. I drink Florida Orange Juice just about every day.

I honestly have to say that out of all of the reviews I have done here on DIY Home Sweet Home, this one is by far my favorite. The Backyard Botanical Complete Gardening System comes complete with 20" high raised beds. This means no stooping down while planting, maintaining or harvesting your garden. It really is a back saver. The garden beds form a U-shape which allows for maximum gardening space in a small area. On the back of the garden is a built-in trellis perfect for beans, tomatoes, peas, ect... And the double doors on the front work great for keeping out pets, pests, and curious little 2 year olds.

Kids will be starting summer soon (some already have). Although my kids are not in school yet, I know how hard it can be to keep the kiddos entertained during the summer months. Sometimes it seems so much easier to just set them in front of a TV and play Dora reruns all day, (and many days I am tempted to) but I know that there are so many more benefits to creative, outdoor play.

They burn energy which leads to better sleep (which leads to mommy sleeping better as well)

As most of you know my family recently took a 16 hour (one way) road trip. In yesterdays post I shared with you a few tips and tricks to surviving a long road trip with two young kiddos as well as some great snack options. If you missed that post you can check it out HERE.

Those of you with children may know how hard it can be to travel when they are young. I've been on a few long trips with kids including an 8 hour plane ride from England when my oldest was 9 months old, a 15 hour trip (divided between 2 days) when we moved 2 years ago, and a 10 hour trip when we moved again a year ago.

Just wanted to share a quick before and after with you all. We recently bought a new dishwasher. Our old dishwasher wasn't worth selling but I did manage to snag the utensil basket before tossing the dishwasher in the dumpster.

I'm sure that most of you have seen this idea floating around pinterest but I just wanted to share it for those of you who have yet to see it.

With the warm weather well on its way most of you have already dug your flip flops out of storage (or are at least planning to. One thing I love about flip flops is that they take up less space than any other shoes in the closet. But even though they take up little space does not mean they don't need to be organized. Check out this genius idea I discovered at EPBOT!!

I love recycling old peanut butter jars, pickle jars, and any other kind of jar that comes into our home.
However, I never thought of adding a handle to the jars so that the kids can hold them easier. What a fantastic idea.

Have you noticed the latest 'food-in-a-jar' craze that has been sweeping the internet? The main reason I love these so much is their convenience. Not only are they super easy to make, they also travel well. Take one with you to work or on a long road trip. Pack up a bunch for a family picnic or pass them out at a BBQ. These are so fun to make and also fun to eat!!

Last summer I hung a watering can up in a tree, then stuck the end of the garden hose in inside. I placed a kiddy pool underneath it and voila... an outdoor shower. My girls spent hours playing in the water and it was a great way to clean them off after any dirty/messy activities.

Today I want to share another drawer organizer with you... my spoons and spatula drawer. I know that a lot of people keep their large spoons and spatulas in a container on the counter, however, I can't stand having things cluttering up my counter tops.

Summer is coming and we are planning a little vacation to visit my husbands family. As excited as I am to see them again, I am not excited about the 14 hour drive with two young kids. I have been trying to come up with a few ideas to keep the girls entertained during our LONG road trip.
One idea that I found was a busy book. However, a lot of the examples I have found on line have removable pieces. During a 14 hour car ride the last thing I want to listen to is a screaming toddler because she lost a piece. Nor do I want pick up a bunch on little pieces from the floor boards or go digging between the seats every time we stop. So I am trying to come up with ideas that require NO loose pieces.
Although it is very slow going, I wanted to show you one of the pages that I have completed.

Although I am not against giving my children medicine or taking medicine myself, I always like to view all of my options first. If I can find a cure that is safer than over the counter drugs, you can bet I'll try it.

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Scotts®. All opinions are 100% mine.
I have recently been given the offer to review Scotts® Snap® Spreader System. Although I have not received the product yet, I am beyond excited to give it a go. Our yard is currently nothing but dirt and a few cacti. We are in the process of giving our yard a makeover and it will be so much easier with the help of Scotts Snap Spreader System. With its no mess, no guess spreader system and a Snap Pac connects directly to the Snap Spreader. No cutting, no opening and no pouring from heavy bags – no spilling or waste! For someone as clumsy as me who is constantly spilling stuff, this is a huge plus. The spreader system also auto-sets the proper flow rate and has a unique EdgeGuard feature that keeps product where you want it. When you’re all done, the Snap Pac self-seals upon removal making it easy to store.

Most of them got sent to the garage where I plan on one day using them to organize all of our nails, screws, and other small items. However, the nutmeg and alum tins were just too cute to hide away in the garage. SO instead, they found a new home on our fridge.

Our home has been blessed with a ton of bathroom storage. However, I know that many of you are struggling with bathroom storage. Having lived in a few houses that offered little to no bathroom storage, I know how hard it can be. I thought I would share a few tips to making the most of a small bathroom.

One day, in a desperate attempt to get Jocelyn to clean her room, I came up with an idea. I took a piece of paper, divided it into 8 sections, then started drawing pictures of items that made up most of the mess. The first section I drew a shirt and pants to represent dirty clothes, in the second section I drew a teddy bear to represent stuffed animals, and so on, and so on. In the last section I wrote "everything else." I explained to her what each picture was (mainly because I'm terrible at drawing) then I explained that she had to pick up all of the stuff in the first section (dirty clothes) only and put them were they belong. Once she was done with the first section she would get a sticker to place over that section. Then she would move onto the second section.
After I explained this to Jocelyn, something amazing happened. She cleaned her entire room without any help from me!!! I was actually quite shocked that something so simple was all it took. Dividing the job up onto smaller sections made things a lot easier than looking at the mess as a whole.
We have since then, upgraded from scribbles drawings on paper to a pretty printable I made.
I know not all of you will be able to use this since your child may have different toys, but I hope it will help out some of you or at least give you an idea to make your own.

I walked into the kitchen this morning and noticed that the banana's were on the verge of going bad. I immediately thought 'Banana Cream Pie' and made a mental note to look up a recipe later.
Well you could say I got a little distracted. Here is what I've been drooling over instead.

Now that Valentines Day is over with, it's time to start thinking about Easter. I think Easter just may be my favorite holiday ever. Everything about Easter is so... SPRING!! And I LOVE Spring time.
I have gathered a few fun decorations to help you get into the spirit of Easter. Hope you enjoy!!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
I have shown my support for Walgreens on this blog before and I would like to take a moment to show my support again.
I honestly believe that Walgreens actually cares about their customers and doesn't just see them as money bags. I also believe that it is one of the best places to go for medical prescriptions. As stated in my previous post, my husband used to be military and through our medical plan we were able to get our prescriptions at Walgreens for a fraction of what they would cost elsewhere. My husband is now out of the military, and we have been looking at our options for prescription drugs. Walgreens seems to be the most convenient. However, since we wont be getting our discount anymore, I wanted to look at a few other options.

I was so excited!! I've talked about painting upholstery on this blog before but I had yet to try it myself. Simply Spray Upholstery Fabric Paint has been featured on the Today Show and is the ONLY non-toxic aerosol paint for upholstery.

Did you know that you could get the look of granite counter tops without paying high prices?

This project is definitely a must for anyone that needs to redo a kitchen or bathroom on a budget.

Our home actually came with fairly nice counter tops. Although they are laminate, they have sort-of a granite look to them. However, they just look so FAKE!!

When I received an e-mail from Giani asking me if I would like to review their Granite paint kit, I jumped on the offer. I looked at their website and thought 'This stuff is amazing!' When the box arrived in the mail, I couldn't wait to rip it open. I read through all of the instructions, watched the VERY HELPFUL video that came with it. Then I stuffed everything back inside the box, tucked it into the corner of the kitchen... and that's were it sat for almost two months.

Why?!! Because I realized that I was going to be painting over our counter top!! That's actually quit SCARY!!

Luckily Giani was kind enough to give me a couple months to finish the review. Eventually I worked up the nerve. I decided to start with our kids/guest bathroom since it needs the most updating. I was still quite nervous when I started and did have a few freak-out moments during the whole process, but I finally finished it and I couldn't be happier with the results.

Here are the before and after shots.

Sorry, I have absolutely no natural light in my bathroom so the photos are not the best.

I always love finding craft projects that the kids can help with (if they can do it entirely themselves it's a bonus but those projects are very rare for a 2 and 4 year old). I know that most of my readers have young kids as well so I though it would be a great idea to gather a bunch of kid friendly crafts for the upcoming holiday.

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All reviews and opinions on this site are mine and mine alone. I always give full disclosure at the end of each post if I'm paid or gifted to write about a product.
We love to share our personal projects and what "works for us", however, we cannot guarantee that those same projects will also work for you. No two homes or two spaces are considered the same. As the reader, you assume any risks involved when completing projects seen on this site. We are not personally liable for any projects that are completed based on the ideas and inspiration shared here.

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